Laboratory of Ecological Risks in Urban Drainage
The Laboratory of Ecological Risks of Urban Drainige (LERMO) was founded on the 1st of January 1998 as a project of the programme on support of research at the universities initiated by the Ministry of Education, Youth and Sport in 1997 and based on the Act of the Government of the Czech Republic No. 27/1996.
The aim of the project was to create a new research centre for the education of young scientists in the field of integrated approach to urban water and wastewater management, which would finally become a part of the Faculty of Civil Engineering of the Czech Technical University in Prague (CTU).
One of the initiators of the foundation of LERMO was the EAWAG (Swiss Federal Institute for Environmental Science and Technology). In 1998 an agreement on mutual cooperation was signed with emphasis on the support of the research programmes of LERMO, international consultation, the education of PhD. students based on exchange seminars in Switzerland and in Prague (later also with PhD. students from TU Dresden) and help with teaching in Master degree and Doctoral degree study programmes.
Research activities of LERMO aim at the understanding of processes and interdisciplinary relationships enabling the assessment and optimisation of the performance of the urban drainage system. Special emphasis is paid to the minimization of ecological impacts on receiving waters and the sustainable development of urban water management. The research orientation manifests itself also in the teaching activities of LERMO (Water Engineering and Water Structures and Environmental Engineering are being held at the Faculty of Civil Engineering of CTU).
The structure of the research team reflects the multidisciplinary approach taken by LERMO. Researchers with both engineering and university background in the field of environmental sciences work closely together to solve actual problems.
From the very beginning LERMO started cooperation with the national and international research institutions(e.g. Association of Wastewater Treatment Experts of the Czech Republic ) and gained several grants (internal grants of CTU, grants by the Czech Science Foundation - Grant Agency of the Czech Republic (GACR)). Furthermore it solves research proposals and takes part in the projects of the 5th and 6th Framework Programmes of the European Community for Research and Technological Development.